Gil Brandt, who was vice president of player personnel for the Cowboys for three decades, sees a plan that won’t sacrifice long-term stability for a short-term fix.

“If (Ireland) sticks to his convictions, he’ll be right about 90 percent of the time, because he has a good grasp of what you need to do to be successful,” Brandt told Volin. “He’s trying to build a team that’s going to be there for more than one season, and in doing that, you make some decisions that aren’t fan-happy.”

Before you can see any tangible results, the fan angst usually is the highest. Charley Casserly, former Redskins and Texans general manager, dealt with plenty of fan opposition and says you can’t let it make you waver.

“If you’re going to knee-jerk on things, you’re never going to go anywhere,” Casserly told Volin. “I have a lot of respect for (Ireland) because it’s not easy. You’re getting bombarded day after day, and there’s nothing you can do about it because you’re not playing any games yet.

“But if you have a plan and a vision, you need to stick with that. Otherwise you’re going to have no direction at all to your program.”